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POLITICO 44

The day after Senate Republicans launched their most aggressive effort yet targeting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, a handful of Democrats took to the Senate floor to push back.

“We want to take this opportunity to get the facts out, to correct any misconception and to set the record straight,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a Judiciary Committee member, said in a speech praising Sotomayor for her extensive judicial experience.

McCaskill told POLITICO that the senators were determined not to let Republican attacks on Sotomayor’s record go unanswered. On Wednesday, Republicans signaled that they were ready to challenge Sotomayor’s record on the Second Amendment.

“They just kind of started in on her,” McCaskill said. “I think all of us are very supportive, and we wanted to make sure that we don’t begin this process with allowing that ‘gotcha’ mentality to rule the day.”

Readers' Comments (16)

The story states: "McCaskill told POLITICO that the senators were determined not to let Republican attacks on Sotomayor’s record go unanswered".

What McCaskill describes as "attacks" others would describe as performing "due dilligence". Questioning the qualifications and judicial temperment of someone nominated to a life appointment to highest court in the land is necessary. I see no problem with Sotomayor facing a tough grilling as long as the questions are appropriate for the position she is seeking, and it stays respectful. McCaskill should review the tapes of the Clarence Thomas confirmation if she wants to see what a real attack is. It is almost surreal seeing McCaskill express her concern that the republicans might play "gotcha politics". The libs have turned "gotcha politics" into a science.

The so-called attacks on Sotomayor's record should not go unanswered. She has a lot of explaining to do. Sotomayor needs to answer the questions, not a bunch of partisan hacks from the democrat party. Sotomayor has had public statements that some believe to be racist. She has affiliated herself with groups that appear to be exclusionary. She has made statements and rulings that seem to indicate she is not open minded on several issues including the 2nd ammendment. The majority of her decisions that have been appealed to the Supreme Court have been overturned. Sotomayor also needs to give a rational explanation of what she meant when she indicated that judges set policy and laws.

Sotomayor should have a fair hearing. The practice of the democrats where they try to paint someone facing a confirmation hearing as being some fragile little victim getting attacked by the mean republicansis getting very old. If McCaskill want to see what a real attack is she should review the tapes of Nancy "the torturer" Pelosi attacking the credibilty of the CIA, and then getting away with it because the dems don't have the guts to properly investigate the accusations.

Sotomayor has had public statements that some believe to be racist. She has affiliated herself with groups that appear to be exclusionary. She has made statements and rulings that seem to indicate she is not open minded on several issues including the 2nd ammendment. The majority of her decisions that have been appealed to the Supreme Court have been overturned. Sotomayor also needs to give a rational explanation of what she meant when she indicated that judges set policy and laws.

Why do we dance around the obvious. Democrats oppose Republican nominations because they are Republicans. Republicans do the same. But rather than be up front about it, we nit pick the nominee beyond all reason and pretend what doesn't matter, matters.

Also, saying that white people are historically the most racist group in american history is a really weak argument. Of course white people are historically the most racist group in America, historically america has been predominantly white. What group do you think is the most racist now? When you say white people who are you refering to? A lot of ethnic groups have white skin, so who is the most historically racist, the French? The Irish? The Germans? The Scottish? The British? Australians?...

I just don't want to hear whining abour racism from what has been Americas historical curators of racism, no matter how amusing they find it.

And her comments weren't racist.

Her comments were racist, look up the definition of racism.

We agree that people from any ethnicity can be racist. Calling white people curators of racism is disingenous, historically white people are no more racist than any other race. A white person has the right to decry and denounce racism just like anybody else.

She will cruise through and the GOPs will just look oppositional as usual.

She will be confirmed but I do think she should have to answer the tough questions. You're average conservative is no more racist than your average progressive. Both the hard right and the hard left have a lot of racist people.